Saturday, April 27, 2024

Tag: Mallorca

The VV View: Sandy’s Palmarès, Rapha CC?, Flapjack Recipes and Couttsy

In this Rant, we remember Sandy Wallace's palmarès and Alex Coutts' career, ponder Rapha CC and cycling as a middle class pastime, and try to imagine when Elia Viviani will get to wear his Rainbow Jersey.

Joan Horrach – “I miss the life of a Professional, it’s amazing!”

One of the nice things about going to the Tour of Britain start in Holyrood Park was catching up with old friends and making some new ones, like Madison-Genesis DS and former Grand Tour stalwart – 16 ridden - and Giro stage winner, Joan Horrach. Joan is an amigo of team manager/DS, former British Elite road and ‘cross champion and Paris-Roubaix podium finisher, Roger Hammond; and when the Englishman needs extra help – like at the Tour of Britain – he gives Joan a ring and the Mallorquín jumps on a plane in his native Illes Balears and heads for sunny England.

Steve Cummings – On his move to MTN-Qhubeka and Winning the Trofeo Andratx-Mirador d’Es Colomer

Steve Cummings (MTN-Qhubeka) is a regular winner, and he's been at it again – this time beating no less a personage than Alejandro Valverde to win the Trofeo Andratx-Mirador d’Es Colomer, one of the Challenge Mallorca series of season openers. VeloVeritas caught up with him a few days after his fine win to chat to him about it - and his move from Swiss squad BMC to the African team for season 2015.

Cycle Hire in Mallorca – hire a bike on the island

If you're heading to Mallorca on holiday or for a training camp it makes a lot of sense to hire a bike over there rather than take your own machine to the island. I recently spent a couple of weeks in Pollença in the north east of Mallorca, on a family holiday - and for simplicity I decided to do just that. Here's how it went...

Dan Patten 2010 from the Beginning…

Dan Patten has joined the ASFRA - Flanders team for this season, and being based in Belgium he's getting into the kermis scene with enthusiasm - and with some success too. He'll be keeping us all up-to-date through his new regular VeloVeritas blog, sharing how his season is going, what it's like living in Belgium, and inside stories and tips about racing in "the Heartland". Read on!...

Challenge Ciclista a Mallorca

Robbie Mcewen, Oscar Freire, Linus Gedermann, Rui Costa, and Andre Greipel took the five one-day races that make up the Challenge Ciclista a Mallorca, which suffered from the weather like other events around the Med. Great to see Jens Voigt back in action and winning a competition too.

At Random

Alan Thomson – Scottish 50 Mile TT Champion 2015

VeloVeritas didn't make it to the National '50' but we did pick up the phone and ring the winner, Alan Thomson. We asked if it was a tough shift up there in the North East; "Nuts! The course rolls and there were spells of brutal headwind where I was down to 19 mph then you were back up to 30 mph and sections you thought would be fast were slow. It was a day where you really had to concentrate and think about what you were doing."

Evan Oliphant – the First Scottish Premier Calendar Winner

Raleigh's Evan Oliphant recently made some cycling history when he became the first Scotsman to win the Star Trophy - or as it's known now, 'The Premier Calendar.' But 'Star Trophy' just sounds so much better. The season long contest was first run in 1959 when the legendary John Perks won it the names engraved upon the silver demand respect - Les West, Hugh Porter, Phil Griffiths, Malcolm Elliott, Paul Curran and Russell Downing to name a few.

George Woods – “happy to be back on my bike and racing again” (and winning in Belgium!)

It was back in July when we first heard about 21 year-old George Woods (Richardson’s Trek Racing Team) ‘doing the business’ in Belgium, we ‘had a word’ with him but with all that Tour carry-on we didn’t get round to writing the interview up. Then the other week we saw he was in the frame again, winning a 114 kilometre kermis at Deinze. High times we gave ourselves a shake and got the piece published!

Tour of Britain 2006 – Day 4: Stage 4, Wolverhampton to Birmingham

In the next day's stage four, Manning did indeed go up the road. Third place on the stage was the reward for his efforts, behind Mark Cavendish (GB and T-Mobile) and the winner, crafty Frederik Willems (Belgium & Chocolade Jacques). Tour of Britain 2006.

Steve Cummings – Winner of the Tour of the Mediterranean 2014

Steve Cummings has finally landed a stage race win, the Tour of the Mediterranean – he won the stage 3b time trial to go top on GC then hung on to his lead on the nasty slopes of Mont Faron to beat AG2R hard man, Jean-Christophe Peraud to the overall honours. We spoke to him a day or two after his triumph.

Grenoble Six Days 2011 – Third Night

Grenoble Six Days 2011... One day, I'd like to come here and sit at one of the big tables with friends and family, watch the cabaret, and the racing, chat, eat and drink too much. It's good value at 63 euros per head: that gets you in, allows you to attack the beautiful buffet and provides you a bottle of wine, mineral water and a coffee as you watch the racing and the cabaret - one day...